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Basin Gulch and Montana gold exploration FAQ

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These are plain answers to the questions technical readers ask most about Lannister Mining, the Basin Gulch Property and gold exploration in Montana.

What is Lannister Mining?

Lannister Mining is a gold and silver exploration company advancing the Basin Gulch Property in Montana’s Philipsburg Mining District, with 11 patented and 53 unpatented claims and more than 320 historical drill holes. More detail is on the overview page.

About Lannister Mining

What does Lannister Mining do?
Lannister Mining is a gold and silver exploration company focused on high-grade, near-surface oxide mineralization at the Basin Gulch Property in Montana’s historic Philipsburg Mining District. The company holds 11 patented and 53 unpatented claims there and is working toward a future maiden mineral resource estimate built on historical drilling and new work programs.
Is Lannister Mining a gold exploration company?
Yes. Lannister Mining is an exploration-stage gold and silver company. Its work centres on one asset, the Basin Gulch Property near Philipsburg, Montana, where more than 320 historical drill holes have been completed. The company’s next milestone is a maiden mineral resource estimate after expansion and confirmation drilling of historical intercepts.
Where is Lannister Mining’s office?
Lannister Mining’s corporate office is at 1500 - 1055 West Georgia Street, Vancouver, BC, Canada V6E 4N7, and the office phone is 604-687-7130. Its exploration work takes place in the United States at the Basin Gulch Property in Montana, about one hour by road from Butte.
Who leads Lannister Mining?
Jim Greig is CEO and a Director, bringing more than 25 years of experience advancing projects toward production. He was a founder, President and Director of Thesis Gold (formerly Benchmark Metals). Kelvin Lee, CPA, CGA, is CFO, with over 15 years of financial management experience at publicly traded companies.
What companies has the Lannister team worked with?
Lannister Mining’s team includes many of the same co-founders or senior executives as K92 Mining, Fosterville South Exploration, Arena Minerals and Thesis Gold. Director Mario Vetro is a co-founder of K92 Mining, and advisor John Lewins is Chief Executive Officer of K92 Mining, a high-grade gold producer in Papua New Guinea.
Does Lannister Mining run a producing mine?
No. Lannister Mining is at the exploration stage. Basin Gulch has seen significant historical work but has not been mined out, and the company has not yet published a mineral resource estimate. Its stated plan is a future maiden mineral resource estimate using historical drilling together with new work programs.

The Basin Gulch Property

Where is the Basin Gulch Property?
The Basin Gulch Property sits in the historic Philipsburg Mining District of western Montana. It has year-round access from the town of Philipsburg on paved and well-maintained gravel roads, and it is about one hour from Butte. The Philipsburg District led the original United States silver boom in the late 1800s.
How many claims are on the Basin Gulch Property?
The Basin Gulch Property includes 11 patented and 53 unpatented claims, a consolidated land package of 1,107 hectares. The patented mining claims form the core of the property and are surrounded by the unpatented claims, so most of the known mineralization sits on patented land.
How large is the Basin Gulch land package?
The Basin Gulch land package covers 1,107 hectares, which is roughly 2,735 acres. It combines 11 patented claims at the core with 53 unpatented claims around them. Multiple high-priority targets lie near the historic resource area, and two-thirds of the property has not yet been explored.
What is the difference between patented and unpatented mining claims?
A patented claim is private land: the US government has transferred title to the surface and minerals. An unpatented claim sits on federal public land and gives the holder the right to explore and develop locatable minerals, with an annual maintenance fee paid to the Bureau of Land Management. Basin Gulch has 11 patented and 53 unpatented claims.
How do you get to Basin Gulch?
Basin Gulch has year-round access from Philipsburg, Montana, on paved and well-maintained gravel roads. The property is about one hour from Butte, which gives crews and contractors a nearby regional centre. Year-round road access matters for exploration because drilling and sampling programs are not limited to a short summer season.
How much of Basin Gulch is still unexplored?
Two-thirds of the Basin Gulch Property is still unexplored. The historical work, including more than 320 drill holes, concentrated on the area around the historic resource. Mineralization is open at depth and along strike, and the wider property remains untested regionally, which is why future drilling will target additional mineralized areas.
What type of mineralization is found at Basin Gulch?
Basin Gulch hosts high-grade, near-surface gold and silver (Au-Ag) mineralization in oxides. Several historical intercepts start at surface, including 1.8 g/t gold over 162 metres. The mineralization is open at depth, along strike and regionally, and its near-surface position gives significant implied flexibility in future mine design optimization.
Why does oxide gold mineralization matter?
Oxide gold is generally easier and less costly to process than gold locked in sulfide minerals, because weathering has already broken down much of the host rock. Oxide deposits are often suited to simpler recovery methods. Basin Gulch mineralization is hosted in oxides; metallurgical testing would confirm recovery for this specific deposit.

Drilling and exploration history

How many holes have been drilled at Basin Gulch?
More than 320 historical drill holes have been completed at the Basin Gulch Property. That dataset, alongside historical trenching, is the starting point for the planned maiden mineral resource estimate, once expansion and confirmation drilling of the historical drill intercepts is complete.
What are the best historical drill intercepts at Basin Gulch?
Highlight historical intercepts include 1.8 g/t gold over 162 metres from surface, 0.66 g/t gold over 326 metres from surface, 3.2 g/t gold over 72 metres from surface, 156 g/t gold over 3 metres and 25 g/t gold over 14 metres. The long intervals starting at surface are the defining feature of the dataset.
What did trenching at Basin Gulch return?
Historical trench highlights at Basin Gulch are listed as 62 g/t gold and 32 g/t silver over 159 metres, 4 g/t gold and 23 g/t silver over 146 metres, 5 g/t gold and 54 g/t silver over 34 metres, and 25 g/t gold and 45 g/t silver over 61 metres. The full table appears on the historical drilling page.
Is the Basin Gulch mineralization open?
Yes. The Au-Ag mineralization at Basin Gulch is open in multiple directions: at depth, along strike and regionally, where the property is untested. With two-thirds of the land package unexplored, the limits of the mineralized system have not been defined by drilling.
What does g/t mean in drill results?
g/t means grams per tonne, the mass of gold or silver in grams contained in one metric tonne of rock. One gram per tonne is about 0.029 troy ounces per short ton. A result such as 1.8 g/t Au over 162 metres means the 162-metre drilled interval averaged 1.8 grams of gold per tonne.
What does “from surface” mean in a drill intercept?
“From surface” means the mineralized interval begins at the top of the drill hole, with no barren rock above it. At Basin Gulch, three highlight intercepts start at surface, including 0.66 g/t gold over 326 metres. Mineralization at surface matters because it reduces the waste rock that would need to be moved in any future open-pit design.
Will historical drilling be used in a resource estimate?
Yes. Historical drilling and new work programs will be used in a future maiden mineral resource estimate for Basin Gulch. The plan is expansion and confirmation drilling of historical drill intercepts first, so the historical results can be tested and supplemented with new data before an estimate is prepared.

Project status and next steps

What is a maiden mineral resource estimate?
A maiden mineral resource estimate is the first formal estimate of the tonnage and grade of mineralization on a property, prepared by a qualified person under a recognised reporting standard. For Basin Gulch, Lannister Mining plans a future maiden estimate that draws on more than 320 historical drill holes plus new drilling.
Has Lannister published a mineral resource estimate for Basin Gulch?
Not yet. A maiden mineral resource estimate for Basin Gulch is planned for the future. The property has potential to host a significant maiden estimate after expansion and confirmation drilling of historical drill intercepts. Until then, historical drilling and trenching results describe the mineralization.
What happens next at Basin Gulch?
The next steps at Basin Gulch are expansion and confirmation drilling of historical drill intercepts, followed by a maiden mineral resource estimate. Future drilling will then concentrate on additional mineralized target areas within the property, including ground in the two-thirds of the land package that remains unexplored.
What are NI 43-101 and S-K 1300?
NI 43-101 is the Canadian standard for public disclosure of mineral project information, and S-K 1300 is the US Securities and Exchange Commission’s equivalent for mining property disclosure. Both require a qualified person to support technical reports. Lannister Mining’s materials reference both standards for gold and silver ounces in the USA.
Are there exploration targets beyond the known mineralization?
Yes. Basin Gulch has multiple high-priority targets near the historic resource, and two-thirds of the property is unexplored. The known mineralization is open at depth and along strike. Future drilling will concentrate on these additional mineralized target areas within the property after confirmation work.
When will the Basin Gulch resource estimate be released?
This website does not give a date for the Basin Gulch maiden mineral resource estimate, because no release date has been set out in the facts presented here. The estimate follows expansion and confirmation drilling of historical intercepts. Check lannistermining.com for the company’s latest project updates.

Montana and the Philipsburg Mining District

Are there gold exploration companies in Montana?
Yes. Lannister Mining is one of the gold exploration companies in Montana, advancing the Basin Gulch Property in the Philipsburg Mining District. Other companies also report Montana exploration; Junior Mining Network’s Montana news page lists 2026 results such as a hole that intersected 30.8 metres averaging 7.40 g/t gold.
Is there a lot of mining in Montana?
Yes. Montana is known as the Treasure State because of its mineral wealth and a history built on mining, and the industry still plays an active role in the state economy. Gold, silver, copper, nickel and platinum have all been discovered and mined in Montana, which is home to world-class deposits.
When was gold first discovered in Montana?
The first gold discovery in what was then the Montana territory occurred in 1852 at Gold Creek, near present-day Garrison. Silver, copper, nickel and platinum discoveries followed. The Philipsburg Mining District, home of Basin Gulch, later led the original United States silver boom in the late 1800s.
Where is the most gold in Montana?
Montana’s historic gold districts are concentrated in the mountainous western part of the state, including the area around Philipsburg where Basin Gulch sits. For district-by-district production records, the Montana Bureau of Mines and Geology publishes historical data and maps that are the best place to confirm specific figures.
What is the Philipsburg Mining District known for?
The Philipsburg Mining District is known for leading the original United States silver boom in the late 1800s. Today it hosts the Basin Gulch Property, where Lannister Mining is exploring high-grade, near-surface gold and silver oxide mineralization across 11 patented and 53 unpatented claims.
Which US state has the most gold?
Nevada produces far more gold than any other US state, according to the US Geological Survey’s gold statistics, which are the best source for current state-level figures. Montana has a long gold and silver mining history dating to the 1852 Gold Creek discovery and remains an active exploration jurisdiction.
How far is Basin Gulch from Butte, Montana?
Basin Gulch is about one hour from Butte, Montana. The property is reached from Philipsburg on paved and well-maintained gravel roads that allow year-round access. Butte, a historic mining city in its own right, provides a nearby regional base for services and personnel.
What metals have been mined in Montana?
Gold was Montana’s first discovery, at Gold Creek in 1852, and silver, copper, nickel and platinum have all been discovered and mined since. Large-scale producers continue to operate in the state. At Basin Gulch, the focus is gold and silver hosted in oxide mineralization near surface.

Comparing US gold exploration companies

What makes a US gold exploration project stand out?
Technical readers usually weigh secure land tenure, the depth and quality of existing drilling, grade and depth of mineralization, metallurgy, access and room to grow. Basin Gulch offers a patented-claim core, more than 320 historical drill holes, near-surface oxide mineralization, year-round road access and two-thirds of the property unexplored.
How do you judge the best US gold companies at the exploration stage?
Judge exploration-stage US gold companies on the same evidence for each: land tenure, drilling history, grade over width, depth from surface, host rock and metallurgy, access, open extensions and a defined path to a resource estimate. This website applies those criteria to Basin Gulch and does not rank other companies.
What is the difference between a gold exploration company and a gold producer?
A gold exploration company searches for and defines mineralization through mapping, sampling and drilling, working toward a resource estimate. A gold producer operates a mine and sells metal. Lannister Mining is an exploration company: Basin Gulch has significant historical work and a planned maiden mineral resource estimate, but no current production.
Who is the biggest gold miner in the US?
Newmont, headquartered in Denver, Colorado, is widely reported as the largest gold producer in the world, and much US gold comes from Nevada. Production rankings change year to year, so confirm current figures in company annual reports and the US Geological Survey’s gold statistics.
What are top gold exploration companies judged on?
Top gold exploration companies are usually judged on the quality of their projects and teams: grade and width of drill results, how close mineralization is to surface, land tenure, jurisdiction, access and the team’s record of advancing projects. Lannister Mining’s team shares co-founders or senior executives with K92 Mining, Fosterville South Exploration, Arena Minerals and Thesis Gold.
Does this website cover gold mining stocks?
No. This website presents Basin Gulch property facts, team background, exploration history and project status for exploration partners and technical readers. It does not discuss share prices, stock lists or buying shares. For general company information, visit the Lannister Mining website at lannistermining.com.

Practical details

Who is this website for?
This website is written for exploration partners, geologists, engineers and other technical readers who want a clear, factual reference to the Basin Gulch Property. It covers claims, access, historical drilling, project status, the Philipsburg Mining District and the Lannister Mining team, with key figures in plain text.
Who publishes this website?
This website is published by Lannister Mining, the company that holds and explores the Basin Gulch Property. It is one of a small number of websites the company publishes. The company’s main website is lannistermining.com, which carries maps, team details and company materials.
How current is the information on this website?
Each main page shows a “Last updated” line; the current content was last updated in November 2026. Historical drilling and trenching results do not change, but project status can. For the latest company updates, check the Lannister Mining website at lannistermining.com.
What is Lannister Mining’s office phone number?
Lannister Mining’s corporate office phone number is 604-687-7130. The office is at 1500 - 1055 West Georgia Street, Vancouver, BC, Canada V6E 4N7. Further company information, including property maps, is on the main website at lannistermining.com.
Where can I see maps of the Basin Gulch Property?
The Basin Gulch property page on this website includes a location map showing the property in western Montana. The property page on lannistermining.com carries additional maps of claims and historical drilling. Both show the patented core surrounded by unpatented claims.
What do Au and Ag stand for?
Au is the chemical symbol for gold, from the Latin aurum, and Ag is the symbol for silver, from the Latin argentum. Basin Gulch results are reported as Au and Ag grades in grams per tonne, such as the trench result of 5 g/t Au and 54 g/t Ag over 34 metres.